Atlas
by tanabatadreams
Summary: Heavy lies the crown, but you give me strength. [SasuSaku. AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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"Behind you, Naruto!" yelled Sasuke through gritted teeth as he maneuvered his sword to throw an enemy soldier off his horse.

Naruto turned around just in time to fend off the blade aimed for his back and quickly turned the tables on the enemy soldier.

Releasing a small sigh of relief, Sasuke turned his attention back to the rest of the battlefield. They had been travelling through the Water Kingdom to reach the Land of Iron on the other side, with the purpose of negotiating a peace treaty. They had almost reached the border of the Water Kingdom when their party had been ambushed by enemy soldiers, which led to their current predicament.

Fighting off another soldier, Sasuke's trained eyes tried to look for some sign that would indicate under who's orders were these soldiers operating, but the enemy was smart and bore no identification. For now it seemed the only way out was to fight their way through.

The battle raged on and it finally seemed the travelling party was gaining the upper hand until Sasuke heard a young girl's cry emanating from the forests.

' _Shit. Civilians_.' he thought as he willed his steed to move towards the sound. The canopy of trees dwindled as he moved in the direction of the cry until it disappeared completely and made way for a cliff with a river flowing under it. Near the edge of the cliff stood an enemy soldier, his hair tightly gripping a young girl's hair.

"Ever the honorable, King Sasuke. We knew you wouldn't ignore a civilian's cry. You're far too predictable." the soldier mocked as his lips twisted into a sinister smirk and his grip on the girls hair tightened, making her cry out once again.

Grinding his teeth together, Sasuke spoke. "Let the girl go, you bastard. Your fight is with me."

The soldier's smirk only widened and Sasuke felt someone coming up behind him. Alas, he turned around a fraction of a second too late and the enemy soldier charging behind him grazed his arm with his sword and knocked him off his horse.

Ignoring the cries of his muscles, Sasuke willed himself to get up from where he fell and positioned his sword to fight. The soldier holding the girl hostage flung her aside and charged towards the young king.

Blocking the incoming attack, Sasuke engaged in close combat with the enemy, swords colliding again and again as the sound of metal clashing with metal echoed through the valley.

' _What's happening? My body isn't moving the way it should.'_ Sasuke frowned as he fought off blow after blow.

Glancing at his injured arm, his eyes widened when he saw the edges of the wound turning a deep violet color.

 _'Poison!_ ' his mind exclaimed. Taking advantage of his distracted state, both enemy soldiers charged in at once. Moving reflexively, Sasuke managed to block off one of the soldiers but a mangled cry escaped his throat when the second soldier's sword tore through his abdomen.

Retracting his sword from Sasuke's body, the soldier smirked. Clutching his wound, Sasuke's knees folded underneath him and darkness began to creep in through the edge of his vision.

"What do we do with him now?" the soldier asked his comrade as he wiped the blood from his sword.

Gesturing to the valley behind him, his partner spoke. "Throw him over the cliff. If he survives the sharp rocks below, he'll either bleed out or the poison will do its job."

Nodding in approval, the soldier twisted his injured arm as he dragged him towards the edge of the cliff. Bending down to speak into the royal's ear, the soldier spoke "Well, well. This is it. The end of the last standing Uchiha. Go join the rest of your dead clan, punk."

The next instant, Sasuke was falling.

.

.

He felt like he he had been falling for ages but before the thought could end a sharp pain seared up his spine, causing explosions of white behind his eyelids. Before he could even register that his impact with the rocks had most likely broken his spine, the water was already sweeping him away.

Struggling to keep his head over the water, he used up every last bit of his remaining strength to fight his way to the shore. But with even the slightest movement, the pain in his back spread further and the wound on his arm burned and throbbed.

' _What's the point? Even if I make it to the shore, the poison will kill me.'_ He thought _. 'Besides, the cold water feels so good against my skin.._.'

He closed his eyes and stopped struggling.

.

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Sasuke groggily opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Though still not completely liberated from sleep, his mind could sense he was not in his castle. It seemed as though he was in a small hut of sorts. Instead of the wide, rose wood bed of his chambers, he was lying on a mattress on the ground. There was a wooden tray next to him with herbs and vials arranged on it, and another tray beside it with ingredients to prepare tea.

Little by little, the memories of the ambush and his defeat that followed came back to him. He remembered giving up hope and letting the water embrace him and pull him under, so how did he end up here?

Sitting up a little, he opened the buttons of his shirt and inspected the wound on his abdomen.

' _It's...gone?'_ he frowned in confusion when his eyes only met with unmarred, alabaster skin. ' _Was the whole thing a dream?_ '

Quickly, he turned to inspect his arm and found that it too was in perfect health. All that remained from his memory of the fight was a dull ache that still resonated in his back.

"I see you're awake. That's good." he heard a voice say and he quickly turned his head to where a woman had just entered the room.

She was petite, lean with bright green eyes and pale pink hair that fell till her waste in soft waves. She donned a long white robe with a maroon obi tied expertly at her waist.

She made her way to the mattress where he lay and busied herself making tea from the ingredients kept beside him.

"Did you heal me?" Sasuke spoke in a low voice.

Smiling a little, she answered. "Aa. I did."

"You have my thanks, fair lady. How long have I been here?"

Closing the kettle to let the tea brew, she turned her entire attention to him.

"I'd say a few hours. How are you feeling?"

Sasuke frowned.

"A few hours? That cannot possibly be." he looked down at his stomach. "A wound like that couldn't heal in only a few hours."

The smile she donned left her face. "That doesn't matter now. Tell me," she asked again, "How do you feel?"

Confusion still evident on his face, he looked at her.

"Quite healthy. There is only a dull ache in my back."

"Ah, yes. I thought so. I couldn't quite angle you properly to take of that completely." she said, standing up. "If you take off your shirt, I'll have a look at it now."

Following her, Sasuke stood up- ignoring the jab in his back- and lifted off his shirt. She moved to stand behind him and placed her palms in the center of his back. Immediately feeling vulnerable, Sasuke opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing when suddenly a warmth began to seep into his inflamed muscles. His eyes widened at the sensation and he instinctively turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of the ethereal, green glow surrounding the woman's palms.

It only took a moment for him to recount where he had read of such a sight before.

"You...you're a battle priestess." he exclaimed.

A ghost of a smile formed on her lips as she nodded slightly.

"Indeed I am." she said as she removed her hands from his back and returned her attention to the tea.

Sitting back down in front of her, Sasuke thought long and hard for a few moments before he spoke.

"The priestesses, they disappeared a hundred years ago."

She poured the tea into a ceramic cup and placed it before him. Looking into his eyes, she said,

"It seems like we are both the last of our lineage, your highness."

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 **A/N _Another_ story. When will the government stop my sinful hand?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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"You know who I am." He stated, more of a fact than a question.

"Of course. Country side peasants do not wash up on my doorstep wearing fine silk and bearing mortal wounds." She said, a sly smile playing on her lips.

He arched an eyebrow in surprise. Her jab was unexpected, since most simple folk threw themselves at his feet to wind up in his good books. Nonetheless, he found her wit almost charming. "That's still awfully presumptuous." He countered.

Her eyes gleamed, as though there was a secret resting on the tip of her tongue, but she thought better of it and swallowed it down.

"I have my ways, King." She answered vaguely, and Sasuke gathered she didn't want him to press the matter further.

"Then it's only fair for me to know who you are, too." He responded and immediately all trace of mischief left her face, replaced by lines of worry and fear. The way her bottle green eyes widened made him want to take his words back and seal them away.

Before he could assure her that there was no pressing need for her to answer, she spoke.

"Tell me, your highness, what do you know about battle priestesses?"

Her question took him by surprise. "Not much, to be honest. Only that they had special powers and boundless wisdom, and their abilities granted them a place in the courts of many royals."

She smiled. "Correct. And do you know why they disappeared?"

He frowned. He hasn't paid much heed to it before, but now the question seemed glaringly obvious. What could have wiped out such a mighty race?

"I thought as much." She spoke again. "I am the last of my people, Fire King. And the only way I have survived is by maintaining my anonymity. If anyone were to know of my existence, I would join my dead ancestors."

She eyed him as though her words carried an unsaid question, and he quickly caught on.

"I understand, priestess. I owe you my life, and in return I shall let you keep your namelessness."

She smiled.

"Thank you, your majesty."

"Only Sasuke, please. This is the water kingdom, I am not your king. Moreover, you are my savior, that makes you superior." He answered as he finished the last of his now cold tea.

"I must leave now, priestess, my procession must be looking for me."

"There is no need. You are right, your people are looking for you. The blonde prince is especially concerned, and is leading the party down the valley to find you." She said as she cleared the cups and kettle. "Rest here for the night, come daylight they will arrive at a nearby town, you can meet them there."

Not for the first time today, the king was left at a loss of words.

"How do you know?" He asked incredulously.

Mischief returned to her eyes as she answered, "I told you, I have my ways."

He only sat stunned as she gathered the tray and left the room with graceful strides.

.

.

He had hoped she would return, but the bleeding red sky outside the window of his temporary adobe faded to the deepest blue as he waited out his solitude. His mind was still overrun with questions, but she was cryptic and uninterested in revealing too much, and he of all people could respect the need for privacy.

He was tempted to leave the room and look for her, but all the manners that had been drilled into his cranium since he was a child held him back from exploring a stranger's home without permission. Instead, he lied down on the mattress and tried to recall anything he could about the battle priestesses until sleep finally claimed him.

When he awakened the next morning, the fragrance of tea immediately filled his senses and he rolled over to his side to face a freshly brewed kettle of tea by his bed side.

Sitting up, he poured himself the fragrant tea and let it rest on his tongue before swallowing, savoring the taste. He was in the middle of pouring himself a second cup when the door opened and the priestess walked in.

He was unsure whether it was his new found know knowledge of her powers, or simply the morning light, but she looked otherworldly as she made her appearance today. Eyes shifting between different shades of green, not settling on a single color, pink hair gleaming in the sunlight and her white robes floating around her instead of falling limply around her body.

She caught his eye and smiled, and his cheeks burned a little as he wondered if she had read his thoughts, but if she had, she didn't say anything. She only placed the plate of food she was carrying by his mattress and sat down on the cushion she occupied the day earlier.

"Good morning, your high-, um, Sasuke?" she said unsurely, cocking her head to the side, as she recalled his offer from yesterday.

Something inside him stilled as her name rose from her mouth like a wisp of smoke. It had been so long since someone other than his blonde bestfriend or mentor said his name, and he couldn't say he minded hearing the syllables of his name in the sound of her voice.

He nodded in affirmation to quell her doubts and she resumed speaking.

"I'm sorry for not serving dinner last night. It seemed best to not strain your system after a healing. I hope breakfast will be to your liking."

"Aa." he said in understanding as he picked up the plate and feasted on the rice balls, not realizing how hungry he had truly been until their aroma hit his senses.

He ate as quickly as he could while still making sure to mind his etiquette, and hoped the spotless plate would convey his thoughts about the meal. When he set the plate aside, she spoke,

"Your friend has almost arrived at the nearby town, you can leave in a few hours."

He hn'd his acknowledgement and thought it would be the end of the conversation. Instead, she continued to speak.

"If I may ask, where were you heading before you were attacked?"

"The land of Iron," he said after a moment of pause. "The king of the country invited the land of fire and the land of leaves to negotiate peace treaties."

A sneer marred her face as she hissed, "The ruler of the Land of Iron is not a good man. Heed my warning, King, you'd be a fool to entertain negotiations with him."

"Why is that?" he frowned.

Getting up, she answered, "You are smart, Sasuke, you will figure it out yourself when you meet him. Just be on your guard."

With that, she moved to exit the room. Before he could think or ponder his words, Sasuke spoke.

"Wait, where are you going?" regret followed at the heel of his words as he realized how needy he sounded, but she didn't seem to pay it any notice.

"To the forest, to chop some wood. Would you like to accompany me?" she asked.

"I could use the fresh air" he replied, in a way of answering.

She smiled. "By all means then, join me." she said as she waited by the door frame.

Without wasting a breath, he donned his shirt and cloak and followed her out the door.

.

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When the priestess said she was going to the forest, the young king had assumed they would be going on a trek to reach it. He didn't expect the forest to lie right outside the hut he was residing in.

He examined the surroundings of the hut, taking in the massive and diverse canopy that shielded it and the river that ran beside it, the same river that had brought him to her doorstep.

His roseate partner walked a few feet into the forest and reclaimed an ax that was already embedded a few inches into a thin tree. She raised it over her head for momentum when Sasuke interjected.

"Hold on, let me do it."

Lowering her arms, she turned to look at him and grinned. "Do not take me to be a weak woman, Sasuke. I do this everyday. You should rest, I'm not the one who was inches from death only a day ago."

With that, she raised her arms again and stuck down the tree with such force that Sasuke almost winced. He wanted to press further, but he knew she would not listen to him. Instead he returned to inspecting the surroundings. He was slightly surprised to find not a single house beside the one he was taking shelter in around the forest.

He refrained from speaking while she was at work, but once the tree fell, he wordlessly moved to pick up the log and silenced her protests with a wave of his hand. When they returned to the hut, he asked,

"You said there is a town nearby, then why do you live here, in the forest?"

She sounded almost sad as she answered, "I did live there, till a few years ago-"

She smiled in remembrance

"-I lived with an old woman and her grandson. One day, the grandson woke up with a raging fever. The village doctor did all he could but to no avail. I couldn't watch his pain, so at night I snuck into his room and healed him." she sighed. "Unfortunately, the old woman saw me healing him. She called me a witch and kicked me out, by the time the sun rose, everyone knew what had happened and everyone closed their doors in my faces. It was clear there was no room left for me, so I relocated here."

Sasuke frowned.

"Why would they boycott you if you healed the boy?"

She lifted her head to look at him, a fire burning behind her green irises but no malice in her voice, "All you need to know is, battle priestesses aren't remembered with fondness."

Before he could raise any questions, she turned to look into the distance.

"It looks like your friend and his troop have reached the village. All you have to do is follow the river further south and you should reach it without a problem." she said.

Sasuke was surprised to find himself almost bitter at the notion of leaving the little cabin in the woods and its mysterious inhabitant behind but he quickly shook himself out of it. He was a ruler of an entire nation, and the crown bore the weight of endless responsibilities. He had to return.

Still, he allowed himself a smirk that was almost a smile when he spotted something close to longing lingering in her green eyes as he nodded, gathered his things, and moved to follow the river.

.

.

Just as she had said, a small village came into view as he trekked a few miles down the river, and once there it didn't take him long to find the the party comprising of soldiers from the leaf country and his own kingdom.

The Prince of the Leaf and his oldest friend made no attempt to hide the relief flooding his cerulean eyes as he smacked his back and chided, "You bastard, where'd you disappear? Did you know how worried I was?"

"Hn. I ran into some trouble."

"No shit. We found a civilian girl by the cliff side, she told us two soldiers thew you into the river below when you tried to protect her. I thought you died!"

He paused to inspect Sasuke.

"But you seem unharmed. I can't believe you survived the fall, it must be a miracle."

The Fire King smirked. "Yeah, you could call it a miracle."

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 **Review, lovelies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.

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The journey to the Land of Iron was abandoned as the entourage of leaf and fire soldiers retraced their steps towards the Land of Fire, choosing to tend to wounded soldiers over negotiating treaties.

Despite his normally reserved disposition, the Fire King played a hospitable host as he toured through the royal infirmary, ensuring that the soldiers of both the nations were being treated well. His stomach retched as he watched a leaf soldier's face contort in pain while a medic popped his displaced shoulder bone into its socket. Immediately, his thoughts trailed back to the mysterious roseate who had mended his broken spine without causing him the slightest pain. In fact, the healing was something that could best be described as soothing.

He frowned.

He had never really paid it much thought, but the disappearance of the priestesses didn't make any sense. They were a powerful breed that occupied high positions of authority, so it was unlikely they disappeared on their own. Besides, taking into account how hesitant his savior had been to reveal her identity and the way she had been driven out of her village, everything pointed towards the notion that the priestesses had been forcibly removed from existence.

 _'But why?'_ he questioned. The priestesses were capable of divine healing, they could bring people back from the brink of death in a matter of minutes. Their skills would have been a great tactical advantage in war time and in peace, so why were they driven to extinction?

Seeking answers, his feet guided him along the cobblestone path through the royal gardens until he reached a clearing in the field of azaleas.

"Kakashi." he spoke.

The masked man that lay among the flowers cracked open his sole visible eye and looked up at the king's looming form.

"Ah, Sasuke! What a surprise to see you here." he said, as he shifted to sit up.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke bent and sat down next to the grey-haired man.

"Quit it. I know you sensed me approaching from yards away."

"Of course not, I was asleep." he replied, but the merriment twinkling in his eye suggested otherwise.

Not indulging in fruitless conversations, the king got to the point. "I need you to tell me everything you know about the battle priestesses." he said with authority.

All merriment left the old man's eyes.

"What brought this on?" he countered with a question.

"That doesn't matter. Do you know anything about them or not?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." he scratched the back of his head, "Only that they were capable of many supernatural feats and occupied many high offices at their prime, until they...disappeared."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Why did they disappear?" he pressed on.

Kakashi sighed deeply. "I don't know, Sasuke. There isn't much information about them out there. All the books in the library only talk about them briefly and almost all of them parrot the same thing I told you. But I'm sure you know that, you wouldn't come to me for help unless you had exhausted all other resources.

And he was right, Sasuke did do his research at the library before seeking Kakashi. He hn-ed in reply.

"But why this sudden interest in battle priestesses?" Kakashi continued. "Y'know, a lot of people believe that the priestesses were just a fable, and they never actually existed. You shouldn't pay too much attention to myths like these... unless you've found a reason to believe otherwise."

"Hn. That's really none of your business." Sasuke replied as he moved to stand up with Kakashi following suit. "I trust this conversation will remain between you and me?"

Kakashi bent down to pick up the olive military jacket that lay on the ground near the spot where he was resting. He dusted it off and shrugged it on, the four stars on its shoulder glinting in the sunlight.

"Of course. I wouldn't be much of an adviser to the king if I betrayed his confidentiality, would I?" he smirked underneath his mask.

"Indeed." Sasuke countered with a smirk of his own, as the party of two made their way out of the garden.

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The sun began to set on the fire kingdom and the members of the royal court along with guests fr the leaf gathered in the main dining hall for supper.

The head of the table was occupied by the Fire King, as was tradition, and was flanked on either side by his grey haired adviser and the prince of the leaf kingdom who also was his best friend (though it would be a cold day in hell before he said it out loud.)

The room was alive with chatter as the soldiers drank fine wine and made merry, enjoying delicacies native to the land of fire.

"Motoyaki and Gyouza, King Sasuke, Prince Naruto." Announced a woman as she set down a platter of food in front of the royals, and curtsied in respect.

The blonde prince spared not a single second before he pounced on the food.

"Mmhm man-" he spoke between stuffing his face with food, "s'not fair how you get to be king and I'm still a prince."

The liveliness of the room came crashing down as everyone stilled and waited with baited breaths for the King to react.

It was no secret that King of the Land of Fire was too young to be leading such a massive kingdom, but circumstances had forced him to take up his place at the throne. The Uchihas were a prestigious dynasty who had ruled the fire kingdom for many generations until King Fugaku's eldest son, Sasuke's elder brother, went rogue and slayed the king and the queen. Sasuke was only seven then. The event shook the very foundations of the land of fire and the ripples of the impact traveled to far corners of the world.

Itachi was never caught, and with no one but seven year old Sasuke left to represent the Uchihas, the throne was occupied by Orochimaru, who had been an adviser to a previous Uchiha ruler- Madara.

Soon after his ascent to the throne, the land of fire entered a steady period of decline. Kakashi, who had been Sasuke's sword fighting instructor, took the last Uchiha to the leaf kingdom to save him from the scrutiny of the oppressed people of fire, who didn't know better than to direct their anger at a young boy who had no say in matters of the state.

In the leaf, Kakashi trained Sasuke along with the son of the leaf king, Naruto. Both the royals grew up to become valiant fighters, and at age of eighteen Sasuke returned to his home land, which only remained a shadow of its former self under Orochimaru's oppressive rule. Unable to withstand watching the kingdom his family ruled in a state of despair, Sasuke killed Orochimaru and claimed the throne for himself, appointing Kakashi as his adviser.

He spent three years trying to restore the Land of Fire to its former glory and now, at twenty one, he was the youngest ruler of one of the Seven Great Nations.

While he was a just king, he was infamous for his temper and people tended to avoid bringing up the Uchiha Massacre around him, lest they awakened his wrath. The leaf prince didn't harbor any such restrictions though, clearly.

Instead of lashing out the way everyone in the room expected him to, the fire king just sighed deeply like he was used to the blonde knucklehead's antics and tactlessness.

"Dobe. You know why I'm the king." he muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. What sort of king are you anyway? You don't even have a queen!" the blue-eyed prince continued on, oblivious to the mood of the room.

"Tch. I can run the kingdom by myself. Besides, it's not like you're married either." he retorted with narrowed eyes.

"True, but I have a betrothed so that will change soon enough." he shoved another spoonful of the food into his mouth. "Man, I can't wait to go home and meet Hinata-chan!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of that, when do you plan to return to the leaf anyway?"

The blonde paused eating for a moment and pondered the question.

"Dunno. As soon as most of the soldiers have recovered I guess. I sent a messenger, but dad will want to know more details about what happened in water country."

Sasuke nodded. "Kakashi and I will accompany you then."

"What? Why?" the blonde looked surprised, as did the king's adviser.

"To discuss the next steps involving negotiations with the land of iron with your father." he replied, sounding aloof.

"Oh, alright then." Naruto dropped the matter, but Kakashi's frown remained in place under his mask. It was unusual for Sasuke to make such a decision without consulting him before, and he wondered if the Uchiha had an ulterior motive in mind.

But before he could raise any questions, the King arose from the table and retired to his quarters. Kakashi had known Sasuke for long enough to know that this meant he didn't want the matter to be prodded further, and that meant there would be no explanations to follow.

He sighed.

 _'What are you up to, Sasuke?'_

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Two days later the soldiers of the leaf and few from the fire kingdom set out out to undertake the four day journey to the leaf kingdom. Those with grave injuries who hadn't recovered were left in the care of the fire kingdom.

"We're finally off! I can't wait to be home and have some of ichiraku's miso ramen!" the prince of the largest kingdom in the world all but squealed.

Mounting his steed, Sasuke scoffed at his antics.

"Whatever. Let's just go."

The entourage made it close to the leaf's border in just three days, pausing strictly for rest and food only.

"Ahh, I can just smell home from here," said Naruto as he inhaled deeply. "Home and...and..."

"Smoke." Sasuke finished.

The two royals looked at each other, and the next instant they were racing towards the border with the rest of the procession following close at their heels. They made it to the village gates in record time-

\- only to find the massive kingdom engulfed in flames.

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 **A/N Long time, eh? Sorry. Exams. Life. Unending misery.**

 **Leave a review to pick up this sad author.**

 **Sorry about the lack of sakura in this. Lots of her in the next chapter.**


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